Issue #55: Any fool can sing at night

Give me a man who can sing in the morning ….any fool can sing at night (ref)

I love the mornings. My most productive days are those when I hit the office early, often before breakfast, and start working on the most important thing that day.

Anyone can turn up, participate and do what they’re asked to do. The real magic happens when you start by thinking, challenging what you’re being asked to do and having new ideas. User research, data analysis and taking risks - these are the things to look at for any internet business going into 2017.

Similar to my talk at Frontier Conference last month, this article answers the question of how you nurture a healthy design culture. Using Trello, getting Macs and changing the working environment are a few key tips worth listening to!

According to the findings, 58% of smartphone users report having used a shopping app in the last 30 days. With over half of consumers using these tools, it’s important for marketers to understand the features, notification preferences, and use habits keep shoppers coming back.

Some hot info from Google on how people shop on their phones, notably, the role that apps and the mobile web play in consumers’ shopping journeys.

WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace are three eCommerce platforms that are gently maturing, in the face of Hybris, Magento and other long-term players. Dayna Winter asks a number of eCommerce designers for their top tips - check them out! I like this from Michael Wong: “Design will either make or break your eCommerce brand. It’s that important. Your online store is the first touchpoint between you and your customers, and first impressions matter most.”

Donhou Bicycles is one of those brands that has kept small and done really really well. Since getting my bespoke frame, I have a real appreciation for building from scratch, because you ultimately get something suited to you, and you alone. Great insight and particular interest in Thomas Donhou’s Signature Steel range’s future.

Slack now does video calling. Great for teams! I really hope Slack are working to see how this works with people outside teams - the stakeholders, clients and guests we talk with to make business work. If so, that would be awesome!

UXmas is a digital advent calendar for user experience designers. Every day throughout December a new article is published. Such a wealth of information to read up on! To start, check out Andy Budd’s fantastic article on The Real Value of Original Research.